Historic DC Fountain Restored by Trump Turns Brown, Video Shows

Source: Newsweek

Published Jul 08, 2026 at 05:14 AM EDT updated Jul 08, 2026 at 05:16 AM EDT


A historic Washington, D.C., fountain restored at President Donald Trump's direction has turned brown, multiple photos and videos shared to social media show.

In May, the U.S. Department of the Interior released footage showing water running at the Cascading Fountain at Meridian Hill Park, for the first time in seven years. The water had been turned off since 2019, as the National Park Service began work on the lower plaza.

Less than two months later, and the water is running brown. Newsweek has contacted the Interior Department via email for comment outside of standard working hours.

The fountain fix up is one of many highly publicized beautification efforts in the nation's capital by the Trump administration, including a $14 million makeover to the historic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where a new dark blue coating was applied to the basin to create what officials described as an "American flag blue" finish. Days after the pool was refilled, however, algal blooms spread across the water, turning it green, and the new lining peeled off.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/meridian-hill-park-cascading-fountain-restrored-by-trump-brown-video-shows-12170081

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